Reviews ALSO PUBLISHED

5 PAPERBACK THRILLERS

" f' ' O ' UMBERTO eco wm Adams The ' ' 1 'L P 1' ' Turning Back the A/QKCIIldel Cipher J M ' 000" Has a hotel been H z. 1 "V k ' "" . biiilt on the tomb of

Alexander the Great? ' ' It's certainly caused ° ' H r 1 some rather MY ,H ,‘ h ' I z" , I, " t. i: " 2' dangerous men to AU SMITH H" H W l I get all excited Girl Meets Boy I " ' ' O " " " Harper,

' HUM \ Ali Smith has a distinctive way with words, and while her writing may not ; : -- tr 1' . ' " - : l‘ :i -r« 51:33,?“

be to everyone's taste. it certainly makes for an absorbing read. Girl Meets 'ix " l r z tr l‘»

Boy, the Inverness-born writer's fourth novel, following her 2004 Whitbread E 2 ' '~ .' T' - Irzi :, ' ' “it . \ award-winning work The Accidental, is the story of two very different I H V . I t .l r" «- l iwtn. sisters: free-thinking, likeable and rebellious Anthea and Imogen, a ‘MééT'ER i 4' .z'i 21in precious, conservative type who works in advertising. Based around the ~i" l i f'. it" ta F

. . . . Shutterspeed myth of lphis - OVid‘s most joyful metamorph05is - the book makes much -,. w

l'y,‘,\),.rwif' i‘,“ “.4” of the idea that myth can carry wider truths and be applied to a range of g 1w.” ' if” I.

situations and characters, in both past and present time. Myth and the

language of myth have the capaCIty to move and effect change, and this is i l : ~ in line: the central theme of Smith’s latest effort. ,r r- r . ' il l ,r wvr :iiiirnni. . Ho e e , while the author certainly has a magnificent ear for language , Joy He'dmg Heart her poetic musrngs are at times beautiful and evocative in this case its at ' r : :' i t' . . . . , Stopper US the expense of a clearly defined plot. In addition, Girl Meets Boy 5 w r i' i n l . . . . , . , suspense writer With characters are not as fully realised as in Smith 5 past offerings, and when 2 . F . i , . . . . . . , . . a tale abOut combined With the occaSional cliche, such as one Sister 5 deSIre to quit the . i»,- . r r ' .m 1 , . . . . . . smalltown angst as a busmess world when she recognises its essential emptiness, this makes ' - ' 'i . m a ; . . . , . . string of local beauty for a rather flimsy, frustrating tale. Humour and Smith s spirited prose style ' . ', i " w

. . . , . queens and up being are both redeeming features in this latest of Canongate 5 Myth series, but ' 'r . ' o " ii , : ~ riddled with bullets be prepared: you may find yourself wanting more. (Camilla Pia) : i, . l'.‘ i : r ' Pocket

' t. ‘k‘. I: . , , , U David McKeowen

l".'\l‘l 'i‘iil..ii’ l)i-u::ti.’.r-rui!‘l"'i "I"

i' ,i .t- I him. . H ,. , . ,, .,,, ., TrappedA story of PETER _.',,,,,,_ WI, mm ,5 (mi DENIS JOHNSON ii, _. ., . . ., ., I 1, , illegal immigration, DORWARD Tree of Smoke people trafficking

. . ltim;i:ii-<l rat-r ii, lit,” ii.'.ii"i .'."l"i'7’}i -:"i~,' i' r" ’w" an . Nightingale M ii; i< r 0000 and internet fraud from a writer who is

, :li'i‘t'til ll iil 'lll‘th'.’ i"'l i""-' ' i "' " ""ir/i’w' (i ' w r' ’3 i- "u T, 1],.Lfilt“i (1"‘;{)""_‘“' l. \ i i_i 1 .. .i t A .i, ,.

rim «\ Illt’ ,Jl'i il‘ 2" 1"1‘?‘\!'.'"~I" 'l‘riizi l 'i-,-' ' ":","' Q 1 K i. t i itit ( ., . . v . H \‘ll'H' "i" 'L‘ "W'! "i: i'li (i 07‘ ,~ iii will r'ti'i 7‘, ‘7"r 1'7"," '..,'.".t.’ll belngdUbbedaS a j ri i r rii h hn ‘i'yitdltl. ‘1' 1”?! '1 Jiy‘ ' iii". . (1 " :(H l 2 ' ti 1 v 4 :' 'H g B

. . , , Gnsham.‘ Hodder. Nurtuiot rm swan-i .in:ivi~.,;nti~.;~.;i;,:;, ,,; l) my; g m, .4”. Jame Rollins

H d 7. .t in. n. i 1, (z, B/aCkOrderRace Mitt" ‘[l_‘.f\(",}'. ‘~t"TTl"-z'l.7,‘i i" T'Wm ti.) ~7‘, w' \ 'n. ' ft. {’53 r j i;.{:' "j .1. against thriller in 'l'l'XrCitft'V T'Tt'f“ ' ill?" “3:! WE.) L,’ lit'l‘c‘, “1", 'T‘ " "V: ' ',';',' ' ".51. "‘ something

p l' .‘i’ 3.81‘ ""5 " > tti' ' l. "’»_:"’2 :,' ':.': 7i , Ii. Sin'Steris being ,,,\,U,Q,_,.\ a”, ,_ . My." {WM y“, 5),,(1,,;_ : V (1,, . I 1,”; , .M , hidden in Nepal and i" ‘. Kl' ' t' '\i‘{ ' 1' ‘. .t’: ii ' 'u‘» 1" ii I if /' i T' ‘:."I ‘I' ‘:' ,‘1'. , " ': attracnng the "‘t‘mlii'n. 'it"".i '(“n'ti ‘- """rnltifv' ."‘. Li" I .‘)-"":". ' 2",” attention of t‘tti't‘t \1' . '\ t.@'” 't“ 'Y "_‘..'I'_ 7‘1. 1 ‘.”_,'i::)’yy,’t,'",'.,:". "'Zykinn /_l’, {ml :x i ; my b... w y- Ii ; r, ,_, ,v: 4,5,. 9 ,1 descendants of Nazi H.‘ , h M , , 1, V H , scientists. Orion. i'iu 1:180 termini w: l? o v ' .1 : f ,‘ caf'a 380'“ l‘orntwrin .r‘ Booting: ii'nitrrsitiaixi 2'» '. f z R ' Strangers AWeStem Unit «mm iii‘ twain- :1 :1"".-'{:i " " :1 f/ :i' ' woman Stansa new m, TM, Wm: a, pm... is . ., .. .- ; I; ,1 57.; g . life in Saudi Arabia DO'I'Hi't‘i't; th‘Z‘tK ‘\“.t‘ 131‘.“ ' " ". .'."“’ ’v i: Ir:"'r: . but things Start to Ylt‘l“ ",O‘J, 533125;" “C.'.:‘.t"', "‘ 5 :\ 5'. . _:I ': " ° ' " f 90 O“ the rails rather { ,9 ti m n: ‘1, K h: i z - o v \. ;..(: ; ° gr“; fr QUlely after the Ran: r‘s laws: c. f" :' wt. : . w n‘n’" w “a-.. man she marries \‘l‘ta'i‘wti [\m min; n s '03. star "“z-"fr: "’_ 1 has a” manner Of ‘\n1n\h “LEW, ,, , N . . 1 w o skeletons tumbling ; , A. ;. M I x H i. . ; ;.,. g -. .. from his cupboard. K it;._ ‘2' i . . . t . . . .. av ' 2' Harper- . , ’\ ,

" ‘. ,. THE LIST 29